Blood On The Water
by Horribibble
Summary: For his sister, Zoro has endured starvation and torture. A foul-mouthed chef shouldn't be a problem. Slight AU. Eventual Zoro x Sanji.
1. Quick Hands, Quiet Feet

**A/N: **Please bear with me for a while. My situation is pretty stressful. Anyway, here is yet another vicious plot bunny. I think, eventually, I might need some help with this one, but for now, there is a direction. This _will _be ZoroxSanji, but it will take a bit to get there. Patience, my loves. Please enjoy.

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**Blood on the Water**

Part One: Quick Hands, Quiet Feet

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* * *

The night sky above was dark, drawn into a long, endless plane, and littered with sharp diamond stars. The light was cold, if anything, a poor comfort and a treacherous friend. Kuina could remember times when she would profess her love to that sky, resting her head against a strong stomach—corded muscle won through years of dedication and training.

She closed her eyes tight, shivering against the force of the sobs threatening to rack her slight frame. Tears leaked through, gathering about her lashes.

She was young, so young—_too _young to see the things she had. Her family was cursed, it had to be. For a girl to be forced here, the feel of bandages wrapped tight around her newly-developing breats, binding them down. She struggled to breathe against the burn of tears.

The sight of that warm chest marred and mangled by scars…

Zoro would not give them his back. Never.

Her brother was a swordsman, bound by his own code of honor and determined to fulfill his promises, even if she were the only one to observe them.

It had taken so much of her own will to bite back the screams, rising like bile in her throat.

_Scream! Fall! Give in! Oh, 'Noa! They'll stop if you'll only give in…_

But, no.

He had faced each torturous assault, eyes open. He had waited, patiently, and he had not screamed.

The captain was forced to stop the punishment.

They needed the green-haired man for his strength. Attempting to break him so far from their destination was a detriment greater to the voyage than the man's insubordination had been to the mate. They were too short on hands to kill him so soon.

No account was taken of the man's younger brother, gasping and quivering at the sight of his beloved brother's suffering.

No, Kuina had not once entered their thoughts.

A sick novelty.

She bit her lip sharply, nearly drawing blood as she recalled her course.

Her footsteps made no sound as she turned from the night sky, creeping slowly into the galley. Food. Zoro had to have _some_ ration, something to sustain him through these injuries.

She needed medicines, too, but those would be far harder to come by. The ship's doctor—if he could be called that, being even worse of a surgeon than he was a carpenter—was a far tighter fist than the man in charge of their food stores. His eye was sharp, and there would be no balms for her brother tonight.

The tiny cabin boy was a hard sight to spot, careful as she was in her quest.

She managed, in short order, to bundle a small loaf of bread (not yet too hard to eat) and a small skein of water under the fabric of her shirt.

If the night's watch had noticed the tiny cabin boy slipping from the kitchen to the brig steps, he made no mention.

The youth had seen his brother tied and tortured, after all.

Although the sight was not uncommon on this ship, the cabin boy and his brother were new hands. Untried and unused to the justices (or, rather, the _in_justices) of a pirate's vessel.

The elder brother was too high-minded—and his brother?

Far too pretty.

The innocence in those big, bright eyes would not last much longer.

His brother could not protect him from what was to come.

He may try, true, but…

Men could die trying.

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**A/N: **I'm doing my best to have some accuracy, but there will be some changes. Probably most notably in crew structure. Please do be kind.


	2. The Hand That Feeds

**A/N: **I have seven papers and an art portfolio to catch up on, and yet I'm updating. I should update the others, too, but… I'm a few chapters ahead on this one. I hope you enjoy.

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**Blood on the Water**

Part Two: The Hand That Feeds

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Zoro woke, as was often the case, in pain.

He grunted, eyes fluttering at the sensation of soft lips pressing his brow.

"'Noa…'Noa, wake up."

"…Kuina." His voice was a harsh rasp on the damp and dark of the brig, "You shouldn't be down here. It's not safe."

Kuina snorted, shaking her head at her brother's logic, "It's not so safe out _there_, either. I would rather they discover me with you than discover me alone." She shook softly, contemplating the threat of just such an event.

"Don't—," He was cut off by a short coughing fit, wincing at the pressure of the rope-collar securing him to the wall, "Don't joke about that."

She sighed, reaching into her shirt as her brother watched her, one eyebrow quirked.

"What're you…?"

His eyes went wide when he spotted the nicked meal.

"You _stole_—? Kuina, take it back!"

"We're _pirates_, now. Remember? Isn't that what we're supposed to do?" Seeing that her brother wouldn't budge, she growled, "_Zo-ro!_ You have to _eat_! They'll just keep hurting you and hurting you and you'll _never _heal. You said you wouldn't leave me alone. You _promised _you wouldn't. Zoro, did you _lie_?"

She noticed his muscles tensing and smiled inwardly at his will to protect.

She knew her brother well.

"Didn't think so." She grunted, already tearing off a portion of the loaf.

A soft chuckle brought her eyes back up.

And there he was: her brother, smiling at her ever so slightly. She felt her throat tighten as tears threatened again.

"What?" She whispered.

"You're trying so hard," The softness in his eyes lifted a bit as he teased, "Are you gonna chew it for me, too?"

"Aa~ah!" Kuina swatted his knee, "You're making _fun _of me, now?! I _should! _I should chew it up until it's nasty, soggy mush just to punish you."

"You wouldn't." He laughed outright, "You'd have to take it back out of your mouth."

Another growl, "You're just lucky you have me."

She shoved the bread into his mouth, obviously perturbed.

He chewed and swallowed efficiently, opening his mouth obediently when she held up the skein of water.

A few, gulping swallows, then…

"I know."

He was willing to take any beatings they could give, so long as he could keep his sister close.

_I'll look after you._


	3. Idle Hands

**Rating: **M

**Summary: **For his sister, Zoro has endured starvation and torture. A foul-mouthed chef shouldn't be a problem. Slight AU. Eventual Zoro x Sanji.

**Author's Notes: **I'm terribly sorry that this update took so long. My laptop was stolen with so much work on it. I've finally gotten back the nerve to continue writing this. More has been finished, but I'm releasing this now in hopes that it meets your expectations. Please don't kill me. T.T

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Blood On the Water

3. Idle Hands

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Land.

Blessed land.

For the first time in what seemed rather like ages, Kuina looked out from the wooden cage of the _Idle Hands' _deck with something very near a full heart. It was hard to pay the glory of such nearby freedom much heed when the _rest _of your heart was withering in the dank.

Kuina's gaze drifted over the scenery beyond the dock, imagining the rooftops, the squares, the fountains and the dancing girls, the markets and the strange weaponry promised by her father's stories. She could almost feel the spice of foreign fruits on her tongue, but a sudden shout from above washed it with salt water.

Her skin crawled, a feeling she now associated with dank wood and rust, and she looked up, up, up...to the crow's nest. The delicate column of her neck excited a growling murmur from a crew mate, and she wrinkled her nose.

"Ho, Mr. Daniels! What news?" She called, receiving a deeper frown in response.

"Ya _deaf, _boy? I said th' capt'n wants ya!"

Joy of joys.

Kuina felt the brief, fanciful image of Land in her mind's eye dissolve into oily skin, grasping hands, and green-and-yellow rot-gaps where teeth once had been.

She slumped, just slightly, and turned to gain her appointed destination.

"I just didn't hear you..." She mumbled.

She screwed up her nerve.

If she was good, and asked nicely—if she _played it _right—maybe the captain would let her disembark, just for a while.

Just long enough to steal some fruit, to keep her brother healthy. If she hid it well enough, she was sure she could bring it back to him. He could take nutrients from _that, _and she wouldn't have to worry about the cook cutting off her hands.

He would get a little better, with time.

Maybe, if she were very lucky, she could filch some salve, at least for the nastier marks.

She had to try.

All of her life, Zoro had put himself through hell trying to take care of her. Now it was her turn.

Pay it forward, pay it back.

That was family.

* * *

"_There _ya are, lad. I've been _lookin' _for ya."

Kuina fought back a shudder, finally face to face with their 'noble' captain, a mid-sized, oily man with quick, sharp hands.

Like shark skin.

It _hurt _to be touched by that man, but she let him grasp her shoulder, all the same. She had to. Good lad didn't want to end up like his brother.

_It couldn't have been _that _hard, on this rathole ship. I should know. I've paced the whole thing. _

The hand tightened a bit, as he realized she wasn't going to offer any of the same weasel's pleasantries. Lad didn't like him. He'd taken part in her brother's punishment.

At least the boy was smart enough to keep his pretty little lips shut. ...Still, a shame.

Those lips...

A slimy grin, and on to fair pastures.

"Been lookin' for ya high an' low, an' now here ya are. See now, I've an _errand _for ya, boy."

"An errand, sir?" She canted her head a little, not even bothering to _hope _it involved leaving the ship without buttering the sick bastard up.

"Aye. I want y' to take these," He held up a length of what looked like leather, coiled loosely, "down to the bosun in the brig. See, boy, while I was lookin' about fer ya, I _thought _y'might have...found yer way _down _there."

Kuina tensed up, but schooled her expression carefully.

This could end very, very badly, and she wasn't about to implicate herself or her brother unless her little act of espionage was outright discovered.

The captain continued, "Had a little chat with big brother—such a _tame _thing he is, caught in a cage— an' he don't seem to be too _comfortable_, what with those wounds of his. Seems a bit of an insult t' _injury_, rubbin' all his skin off with them _ropes_, don't ya think, boy?"

"S-sir?"

"These are for his bindin's, boy. I've got a _soft _spot, y'might say, for you an' your brother."

Another squeeze on her shoulder, and he urged the restraints into her hands.

"Such a helpful lad, y' are. And such a valuable hand your _brother _is. He may be in the dregs, now, but once he's served his time, ya can be sure he'll be treated right proper."

"He _is _suffering..." Kuina answered, letting just a hint of her own bitterness color her voice. Sad, girl, not bitter, she told herself. A sad brother mourns injuries, a bitter one _avenges_ them.

"Aye, but he'll live—and be stronger for it, I bet!"

Kuina would, too. She only hoped he'd be strong enough to get them both the hell _off _of this wretched ship.

"Yes—_aye_, sir."

"Well, what're ya waitin' for, boy?"

"I-oh, I—I wanted to ask, sir. It's my first voyage, this one, and I was wondering if maybe I could...go ashore. Maybe find a salve, just for some of...for some of my brother's cuts...? And to feel the ground, just for a while?"

The captain laughed, his rattling shoulders doing nothing to distract her from the _thumb _now rubbing her skin where his hand rested.

If she had her sword with her, this 'man' wouldn't _be _one anymore.

"Aye, lad, you can go ashore. Get your legs under ya for a bit. We _all _know the feelin'."

Kuina felt her heart lift once more, lifting her foot to take a step back, when the captain continued.

"But ya needn't bother with the medicine."

There was a burning pressure in her chest. What was the point?

_**What was the point?**_

There was no reason to go ashore, just to get off her damn 'sea legs'. She just wanted to do her best to make some of those horrid wounds go away, and to fight off those creeping threats of infection the cat had left on her brother's warm skin.

Another (_I'm going to knock his damned teeth out)_ spot-toothed smile, "Like I said, I've a soft spot. I've got th' doc mixin' up a proper medicine for those nasty marks on yer brother."

"...Really, captain?" She couldn't help it. She hadn't thought the man would do such a thing, ulterior motives or no.

It almost made her want to like him.

_Almost_.

Then again, what in the world did the carpenter cum doctor know about mixing 'proper' medicine.

The skepticism must have shown, because the man let out another raspy, barking laugh and turned her by the shoulders before giving her a healthy push.

"Get goin', lad. Your brother's _waitin'_."

And he was.

* * *

After a quick visit to the bosun—a tall, broad, and bitter man, mercifully quiet on most days, dreadfully so on others—and a surreptitious kiss to her brother's cheek, and Kuina was land-bound.

She eased herself down the rope ladder slowly, approaching the firm wood of the dock, and sending up a dozen little prayers in her mind.

Until she felt a pair of great, meaty hands lift her by the waist and set her on the plank boards. She drew off quickly, turning around whip-quick.

Johnny Two-sides.

A crewman.

He didn't really _have _two sides, at least not that Kuina had marked, or if he did, they were equally nasty.

The man was worse than the captain, she thought, a hulking man, broad and tall, though not as towering as the bosun. It may have appeared that he had most of his teeth, if not all, but the horrid truth was that the vast majorityweren't _his._ He'd taken them from the women and children he'd raped.

And then he'd tattooed a little heart on his arm for each and every one of them.

The symbol, in her mind, might never be romantic again.

She felt her stomach give a queasy little turn as Johnny _smiled _at her with all of those carefully-polished trophies. She was sure she felt him _oozing _through the fabric where he had touched her.

"Easy there, lad. You'll not wan'ta knock yerself down, aye?"

"...Aye." She answered out of obligation. Her eyes were already sweeping her environment, the world rocking a bit after her shift in equilibrium.

She turned, intent on leaving before Two-sides got any ideas.

"Pleasant day."

And she was gone.

Away and running, but unable to run away.

Johnny watched her go, his grin twisting just a bit more as a fellow crewman descended to the dock and followed his gaze, chuckling.

"Eyes on the prize, aye, John? Lad's got a set of legs, certain."

"I hope he _kicks_."

* * *

Below deck, the bosun grinned at his prized captive, holding up the new restraints and a candle, "Cap'n 'an I thought we get you a _present, _boy."

Zoro sneered, "Sorry. You're not my type."

His contempt never waivered, not even as he felt the grim realization—

Like wet leather at his throat.

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**A/N: **I'll update as soon as I'm sure the next bit fits in. I hope you all like it.


	4. Grasping Panic

**Rating: **M

**Summary: **For his sister, Zoro has endured starvation and torture. A foul-mouthed chef shouldn't be a problem. Slight AU. Eventual Zoro x Sanji.

**Author's Notes: **More of this has been written, and should be posted within the week if not immediately. I just wanted to break the chapters up a bit for the sake of pacing. To **cb O chan**, I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so far. And **Pamplemoose**, thanks again for being delightfully awesome. I do hope I've managed to find the happy medium for the development of this story. Yours are hands down some of the best I've ever received. So, here's to you. ;3

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Blood On the Water

4. Grasping Panic

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Sanji sighed, the sound coming out far closer to a frustrated growl. Long, slender fingers ran through well-tended blonde locks as he checked his list for his next destination.

Unbe-fucking-lievable, this was.

He had stopped paying attention for five minutes—just five—to speak to a lovely lady, and the idiot rubberband boy they called a captain had decimated _three months worth of food_ for _three people. _

Damn him and his damned rubber stomach.

Sanji paused, extracting his pack and tapping out another beautiful cylinder to place between his lips. This was all just too much stress to deal with.

It was like he was part of a long, slow journey to hell with the biggest idiots ever to sail the greater waters.

...But they were _his _idiots. His mind mollified his nerves as the first touch of nicotine gave him a sweet, smoky hello.

And then fizzled when he felt his burden grow suddenly lighter with a quick jerk.

His eyes snapped open—had he really _closed _them?—and took stock of a waif running top-speed away from him.

"_Damn it!_ That's the _**second **__fucking time _today! You—," He paused, casting comically sweet eyes at the nearest shop clerk, "I'll be back, ma'am, if you'd only watch these for a few moments?"

A vaguely frightened nod, and Sanji made good use of his long legs.

Of course he took off after the kid.

He wasn't about to let these damned monkeys get the better of him.

* * *

Chopper barely moved out of the war path as first a young kid and then Sanji himself barreled toward him.

He didn't need much more than Sanji's threatening hand motions to take up the chase as well.

Smart reindeer.

"This is _fun_!"

...Never mind.

* * *

Kuina ran until her chest burned and burned, threatening to rupture and ruin the contents of her ill-begotten prize.

Only then did she stop, and only then because her ankle turned and she fell unceremoniously to the ground, rolling with her momentum and protecting the bag of indigenous fruits with her body.

She knew she should get up and running, but right now, everything hurt.

"'ey, lad. Lookit whot y'got there. Fruits? ...Cute."

And the day took a turn for the worse.

Who else, but Johnny Two-Sides?

Yet again, he picked her up and made a play at dusting her off, his hands moving in ways that should rightly have netted him a broken nose.

She tried to move away, affecting a simple need for independence rather than crushing fear and disgust, but he _would not let her move. _

And then she noticed the others.

Funny.

For such a warm day, she felt strangely cold.

"'ey there, lad," a scraggly little man named Rat did his best to lilt, "Airn't ya'little far from big brother?"

His eyes swept her up and down.

No attempt made at secrecy.

And the rest were doing the same.

Her stomach settled into that grossly familiar state of tangles.

_Shit_.

Johnny Two-Sides ran one hand down to grip her hip, the other taking a firm hold of her upper arm before pulling her forward, flipping her around mid-action so his pelvis pressed crudely against her backside.

_**Fuck. **_

"_Say_, lad. We've been meanin' to get better acquainted. An' now 'at yer brother ain't _feelin' _so good...what's th' harm, ey?"

"What's the harm? What the hell? Get off of me!" She struggled, but his grip shifted to her clothes. She tensed as hot, acrid breath gusted by her ear, one arm headed to brush what the man assumed to be a flat chest, "Come, boy, we'll be right _nice _to ya, if ya play along. Ya might even _enjoy _it."

—_boy!—_

* * *

_No female shall set foot aboard a pirate's ship. To secret a woman or girl-child aboard is to condemn both parties to death._

...Or worse.

* * *

"No! Not with _you!_ Get off of me! Get—"

It was during this struggle, as she threw herself here and there, trying to break out of the hold, that her shirt snagged and ripped.

Dead, dead, dead for a ducket.

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**A/N: **The next chapter is already typed, again, I just wanted a bit of a break between chapters. I hope all of you are enjoying the story so far, and that you're all as excited as I am for the Strawhats drawing nigh. :) I might be asking for a few ideas later on, as Alternate Universe and Has Not Seen the Whole Series make plotting 100% pretty challenging.

Hasta, amigos y amigas!


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